|
Latest Updates on West Coast Strike:
CBP, Taiwan AEO Agree to Cargo Security Program Standards
U. S. Customs & Border Protection / www.cbp.gov
Rosslyn, Va. – The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO) signed on November 26, 2012 a mutual recognition arrangement concerning the supply chain security program of their designated representatives. The designated representatives responsible for implementing this arrangement are:
- For AIT, the designated representative is the United States Department of Homeland Security through U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
- For TECRO, the designated representative is the Directorate General of Customs, Taiwan Ministry of Finance.
Under this AIT/TECRO Arrangement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Deputy Commissioner David V. Aguilar and Taiwan Ministry of Finance Deputy Minister Ding-Fang Huang agreed to mutual standards in Taiwan’s Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) program and the U.S.’s Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program here today.
The arrangement recognizes the compatibility between the Taiwan and U.S. cargo security programs and acknowledges that Directorate General of Customs, Taiwan Ministry of Finance and CBP will accept the security status of members of the other program.
Managing Director of AIT, Barbara Schrage and Acting Representative of TECRO, Ta Tung Jacob Chang signed the mutual recognition arrangement. CBP Assistant Commissioner for International Affairs Charles Stallworth and Taiwan Ministry of Finance Deputy Minister Ding-Fang Huang both observed the signing.
C-TPAT is a voluntary U.S. Government-business initiative to build cooperative relationships that strengthen and improve overall international supply chain and U.S. border security. C-TPAT recognized that U.S. Customs and Border Protection can provide the highest level of cargo security only through close cooperation with the ultimate owners of the international supply chain such as importers, carriers, consolidators, licensed customs brokers, and manufacturers.
“CBP’s international relationships are essential to securing the global supply chain,” said Deputy Commissioner Aguilar. “Today’s mutual recognition arrangement with our partners in Taiwan Customs marks an important step toward realizing our 21st Century border management vision.”
The arrangement recognizes compatibility between the Taiwan and U.S. cargo security programs and acknowledges that Directorate General of Customs, Taiwan Ministry of Finance and CBP will accept the security status of members of the other program. Additionally, the mutual recognition arrangement will allow for closer collaboration between agencies and greater benefits and common standards to the trade community. The United States has signed previously mutual recognition arrangements with New Zealand, Canada, Jordan, Japan, Korea and The European Union.
Mutual recognition is a key concept within the APEC Framework for Secure Trade and helps to promote end-to-end supply chain security and facilitation at a global level. Similarly, the integration of border security and trade facilitation is an essential part of the Department of Homeland Security’s vision for a layered risk management and risk segmentation strategy, which extends security beyond our physical borders.
Napolitano Kicks Off CBP Trade Symposium; New Import Centers Announced
U.S. Customs & Border Protection / www.cbp.gov
(11/27/12) Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano today opened U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s 2012 East Coast Trade Symposium by stressing the critical role trade plays in supporting the nation’s economic health.
Homeland security is not just about protection from those who would do harm or break U.S. laws, Napolitano said, but also must support trade that is “inextricably linked with the ability to have jobs and help with the economy. This year, CBP will facilitate about $2 trillion in trade while enforcing U.S. trade laws that protect the American people.”
Napolitano spoke before a gathering of approximately 900 attendees both at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., and through a webcast. The symposium had been scheduled for October but was postponed due to Hurricane Sandy.
In his introductory remarks, CBP Deputy Commissioner David V. Aguilar discussed progress in transforming and modernizing CBP trade processing. Aguilar told the group that he believed much progress has been made in making U.S. trade administration more streamlined, coordinated, nimble, sophisticated and effective.
One development making this possible, Aguilar said, is the Centers of Excellence and Expertise launched last year. These centers provide industry-specific capabilities on a national scale, led by personnel at a key location. Current active centers focus on electronics, pharmaceuticals, automotive and aerospace, and petroleum, natural gas and minerals.
Aguilar called the centers “the centerpiece of our trade process transformation” and announced six new centers planned for 2013:
1. Agriculture and prepared products, based in Miami;
2. Apparel, footwear and textiles, San Francisco;
3. Base metals, Chicago;
4. Consumer products and mass merchandising, Atlanta;
5. Industrial and manufacturing materials, Buffalo; and
6. Machinery, Laredo, Texas.
During the morning session of the first of the 1-1/2-day symposium, Aguilar also introduced Mitsuaka Inagaki, the director-general, Customs and Tariff Bureau, Japan Ministry of Finance, who spoke via a video message. The two men described the full realization of a trusted-trader partnership between the two nations, mutual recognition of each nation’s supply chain security measures. This relationship, Aguilar said, not only promises to provide immediate benefits for streamlining trade between the two countries, but also allows CBP’s trusted trader program, the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, to expand member benefits to the export realm.
Rep. Kevin Brady, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee’s trade subcommittee, provided luncheon remarks.
Standing Guard for Consumers: CPSC, CBP at U.S. Ports Protecting Consumers This Holiday Season
U.S. Customs & Border Protection / www.cbp.gov
Elizabeth, N.J. – Today, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Chairman Inez Tenenbaum and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Deputy Commissioner David V. Aguilar visited Port Elizabeth, N.J., to announce efforts to keep families safe from dangerous chi ldren’s products this holiday season.
CPSC and CBP are working together at ports across the U.S. to help protect families and keep unsafe products off the shelves this holiday season. So far this year, CBP and CPSC personnel together have seized more than 2 million units of dangerous toys and children’s products.
Chairman Tenenbaum and Deputy Commissioner Aguilar urged parents and other family members to be vigilant when making toy purchases.
“Proactive surveillance at the ports, strong toy standards, and educational efforts create a safer holiday toy shopping experience for consumers by keeping dangerous products off store shelves,” said Chairman Tenenbaum. “Ultimately our goal is to protect our most vulnerable popula tion—kids—and keep them safe this holiday season.”
“Together with CPSC, we have intercepted record amounts of unsafe products,” said Deputy Commissioner Aguilar. “We are here to raise consumers’ awareness about the very real danger of unsafe products and urge consumers to be vigilant when buying toys and children’s products th is holiday season.”
Over the past four years, CPSC and CBP have stopped more than 8.5 million units of about 2,400 different toys and children’s products due to safety hazards or the failure to meet federal safety standards. By seizing dangerous toys and children’s products at U.S. ports of entry, CBP and CPSC keep unsafe products off store shelves and out of consumers’ homes.
Since 2008, seizures have nearly doubled both in quantity and value for consumer products imported into the U.S. The coordination between CBP, CPSC and other agencies has resulted in successful targeting, joint operations and coordinated enforcement actions on dangerous products, includ ing harmful children’s toys.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection will facilitate about $2 trillion in legitimate trade this year while enforcing U.S. trade laws that protect the economy, the health and the safety of the American people. We accomplish this through close partnerships with the trade community, other go vernment agencies and foreign governments. CBP works closely with CPSC to identify potentially unsafe shipments to check at ports of entry to ensure the safety of imported toys.
CBP has targeted more than 5,000 high-risk shipments for examination through the Commercial Targeting and Analysis Center (CTAC) in Washington on behalf of CPSC, leading to the seizure of thousands of dangerous imported consumer products. In November, CTAC targeting lead to a large ship ment of toys being seized at the area port of Jacksonville, Fla. In total, nearly 24,000 toys, valued at $220,000, were seized by CBP for CPSC lead violations.
In fiscal year 2012, CPSC recalled 38 toys, three of which involved a lead violation. Toy recalls have continued to decline since 2008. There were 172 recalls in fiscal year 2008, 50 recalls in fiscal year 2009, 46 toy recalls in fiscal year 2010, and 34 recalls in 2011. Most toy recall s in 2012 were due to small parts, choking hazards or sharp points.
Toy-related death reports to CPSC involving children younger than 15-years-old decreased to 13 in 2011 from 19 fatalities in 2010 and 17 reported in 2009. The majority of these toy-related fatalities were attributed to asphyxiation, choking or drowning. These included children choking o n balloons, drowning after trying to retrieve a toy from a swimming pool, or being found with tricycles in swimming pools.
The Toy-Related Deaths and Injuries Report released by CPSC today estimated 193,200 toy-related, emergency department-treated injuries to children younger than 15 years of age occurred in 2011. ( Toy-Related Deaths and Injuries Report ) Many of the incidents were associated with, but no t necessarily caused by, a toy. For children younger than 15-years-old, non-motorized scooters continued to be the category of toys associated with the most injuries. Frequently, these injuries involved lacerations, contusions, and abrasions to the child’s face and head.
Read further
ICE, European Law Enforcement Agencies and Europol Seize 132 Domain Names Selling Counterfeit Merchandise in 'Project Cyber Monday 3' and 'Project Transatlantic' Operations
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement / www.ice.gov
WASHINGTON – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), law enforcement agencies from Belgium, Denmark, France, Romania and the United Kingdom, and the European Police Office (Europol) seized 132 domain names today that were illegally selling counterfeit merchandise online to unsuspecting consumers.
The 132 domain names seized are part of Project Cyber Monday 3 and Project Transatlantic. These websites were set up to dupe consumers into unknowingly buying counterfeit goods as part of the holiday shopping season. The operation was coordinated by the ICE HSI-led National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) in Washington, D.C.
This is the third year that the IPR Center has targeted websites selling counterfeit products online in conjunction with Cyber Monday. An iteration of Operation In Our Sites (IOS), Cyber Monday 3 seized 101 websites and yielded one arrest. Additionally, recognizing the global nature of Internet crime, this year the IPR Center partnered with Europol, who, through its member countries, executed coordinated seizures of foreign-based top-level domains such as .eu, .be, .dk, .fr, .ro and .uk. This effort is titled Project Transatlantic and resulted in 31 domain name seizures.
"This operation is a great example of the tremendous cooperation between ICE and our international partners at the IPR Center," said ICE Director John Morton. "Our partnerships enable us to go after criminals who are duping unsuspecting shoppers all over the world. This is not an American problem, it is a global one and it is a fight we must win."
The IPR Center and Europol received leads from various trademark holders regarding the infringing websites. Those leads were disseminated to eight investigating HSI field offices in Baltimore, Buffalo, Denver, El Paso, Newark, San Antonio, San Diego and Ventura (Calif.) and to the investigating Europol member countries including Belgium, Denmark, France, Romania and the United Kingdom.
"Europol became a member of the IPR Center this year and I am glad to be able to announce these operational successes," said Rob Wainwright, Director of Europol. "IPR theft is not a harmless and victimless crime. It can cause serious health and safety risks and it undermines our economy."
The domain names seized are now in the custody of the governments involved in these operations. Visitors typing those domain names into their Web browsers will now find a banner that notifies them of the seizure and educates them about the federal crime of willful copyright infringement.
In addition to the domain name seizures, officials identified PayPal accounts utilized by the infringing websites. Proceeds received through the identified PayPal accounts, in excess of $175,000, are currently being targeted for seizure by the investigating HSI field offices.
"We couldn't be more pleased with the opportunity to work closely with HSI to shut down criminals targeting our customers and our brand just as the holiday season takes off," said Tod Cohen, vice president and deputy general counsel of Government Relations for eBay Inc. "PayPal and eBay Inc. pride ourselves in going above and beyond in the fight against the illegal online trafficking of counterfeit goods by partnering with law enforcement and rights owners globally, and we hope that this is fair warning to criminals that the Internet is not a safe place to try and sell fake goods."
During this operation, federal law enforcement officers made undercover purchases of a host of products; including professional sports jerseys, DVD sets, and a variety of clothing, jewelry and luxury goods from online retailers who were suspected of selling counterfeit products. If the copyright holders confirmed that the purchased products were counterfeit or otherwise illegal, seizure orders for the domain names of the websites that sold these goods were obtained from federal magistrate judges.
IOS is a sustained law enforcement initiative that began more than two years ago to protect consumers by targeting the sale of counterfeit merchandise on the Internet. The 101 domain names seized under Project Cyber Monday 3 bring the total number of IOS domain names seized to 1,630 since the operation began in June 2010. Since that time, the seizure banner has received more than 110 million individual views.
Of the 1,529 previous domain names seized, 684 have now been forfeited to the U.S. government. The federal forfeiture process affords individuals who have an interest in seized domain names a period of time after a "Notice of Seizure" to file a petition with a federal court and additional time after a "Notice of Forfeiture" to contest the forfeiture. If no petitions or claims are filed, the domain names become the property of the U.S. government. Additionally, a public service announcement, launched in April 2011, is linked from the seizure banner on each of the 684 forfeited websites.
The banner and video educate the public about the criminal consequences of trafficking in counterfeit goods and the economic impact that crime has on the U.S. and global economies.
U.S. Attorney's Offices in the Districts of Maryland, Colorado, New Jersey, Southern District of California, Central District of California, Western District of New York and the Western District of Texas issued the warrants for the seizures. Significant assistance was provided by the Department of Justice's Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section.
The IPR Center is one of the U.S. government's key weapons in the fight against counterfeiting and piracy. Working in close coordination with the Department of Justice Task Force on Intellectual Property, the IPR Center uses the expertise of its 21 member agencies to share information, develop initiatives, coordinate enforcement actions, and conduct investigations related to IP theft. Through this strategic interagency partnership, the IPR Center protects the public's health and safety, the U.S. economy and the war fighters.
To report IP theft or to learn more about the IPR Center, visit www.IPRCenter.gov.
CBP Seizes Shipment of Lead-Contaminated Toys
U.S. Customs & Border Protection / www.cbp.gov
Washington — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers and Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) investigators seized multiple shipments containing nearly 24,000 toys which exceeded the legal limits for lead in the area port of Jacksonville, Florida November 14. In addition to the safety violations, various counterfeit toys were also discovered. The total domestic value for t he shipments was estimated to be nearly $220,000.
“Ensuring the safety of imported merchandise is a top priority for CBP,” said Allen Gina, CBP’s assistant commissioner for in ternational trade. “The concerted targeting efforts of the Commercial Analysis and Targeting Center and the vigilance of CBP officers at our ports of entry ensures that toys are safe for children and their families and add to the joy of the holiday season as intended.”
CBP works closely with CPSC to identify potentially unsafe shipments to check at ports of entry to ensure the safety of imported toys. CPSC has established permanent staffing at the CTAC in Washington and is working with CBP at select ports to stop unsafe imports from entering the U.S.< /span>
“We actively target hazardous children’s products throughout the year,” said CPSC Director of Import Surveillance Carol Cave. “Cutting edge joint programs, now in place with CBP, can give U.S. consumers more confidence that products on our shelves are safe.”
The CTAC combines resources and personnel from various government agencies to protect the American public from harm caused by unsafe imported products. The center accomplishes this through better communication, information-sharing and by reducing redundant inspection activities.< /span>
For additional information on the CTAC, please visit ( Import Safety Commercial Targeting and Analysis Center )
USITC Makes Determination in Five-Year (Sunset) Review Concerning Folding Gift Boxes from China
U.S. International Trade Commission / www.USITC.gov
The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) today determined that revoking the existing antidumping duty order on folding gift boxes from China would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury within a reasonably foreseeable time.
All six Commissioners voted in the affirmative.
Today's action comes under the five-year (sunset) review process required by the Uruguay Round Agreements Act. See the attached page for background on this five-year (sunset) review.
The Commission's public report Folding Gift Boxes from China (Inv. No. 731-TA-921 (Second Review), USITC Publication 4365, December 2012) will contain the views of the Commission and information developed during the review.
Copies may be requested after December 31, 2012, by emailing pubrequest@usitc.gov, calling 202-205-2000, or writing to the Office of the Secretary, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20436. Requests may be made by fax at 202-205-2104.
________________________________________
BACKGROUND
The Uruguay Round Agreements Act requires the Department of Commerce to revoke an antidumping or countervailing duty order, or terminate a suspension agreement, after five years unless the Department of Commerce and the USITC determine that revoking the order or terminating the suspension agreement would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of dumping or subsidies (Commerce) and of material injury (USITC) within a reasonably foreseeable time.
The Commission's institution notice in five-year reviews requests that interested parties file responses with the Commission concerning the likely effects of revoking the order under review as well as other information. Generally within 95 days from institution, the Commission will determine whether the responses it has received reflect an adequate or inadequate level of interest in a full review. If responses to the USITC's notice of institution are adequate, or if other circumstances warrant a full review, the Commission conducts a full review, which includes a public hearing and issuance of questionnaires.
The Commission generally does not hold a hearing or conduct further investigative activities in expedited reviews. Commissioners base their injury determination in expedited reviews on the facts available, including the Commission's prior injury and review determinations, responses received to its notice of institution, data collected by staff in connection with the review, and information provided by the Department of Commerce.
The five-year (sunset) review concerning Folding Gift Boxes from China was instituted on April 2, 2012.
On July 6, 2012, the Commission voted to conduct an expedited review. All six Commissioners concluded that the domestic group response for this review was adequate and the respondent group response was inadequate and voted for an expedited review.
A record of the Commission's vote to conduct an expedited review is available from the Office of the Secretary, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20436. Requests may be made by telephone by calling 202-205-1802.
With IKEA Concluding Its Investigation Into Possible Use Of Cuban Political Prisoners As Slave Labor, Ros-Lehtinen Says We Must Be Sure That No Other Company Is Ever Involved In These Horrid Activities
House Committee on Foreign Affairs / www.foreignaffairs.house.gov
(WASHINGTON) – U.S. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, made the following statement today regarding IKEA’s public report on their findings into the possible business relationships between the IKEA Group and Cuba and the potential use of political prisoners in the manufacturing process. Statement by Ros-Lehtinen:
“After my fellow Congressional colleagues and I met with IKEA executives in June of this year to make inquiries about the possible use of Cuban political prisoners to manufacture furniture, I am pleased that IKEA officials have taken the necessary steps to conduct an extensive investigation and have concluded that IKEA was not aware of the potential use of political prisoners in Cuba to manufacture their products and have implemented a zero tolerance policy against any form of forced labor.
“According to IKEA, only a few samples were manufactured in Cuba, which did not meet their quality control specifications, resulting in the business venture to end without a contract with the Cuban regime. This is yet another example of how the brutal Castro regime seeks to profit off the backs of the Cuban people through forced labor and oppressive policies. We take accusations such as these very seriously, in order to ensure that the Cuban people are not further disenfranchised and abused by entities looking to make a quick buck.”
NOTE: Chairman Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) along with Representatives Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), David Rivera (R-FL), and Albio Sires (D-NJ) sent the following letter to IKEA on May 8, 2012 to further investigate the allegations of IKEA using political prisoners in Cuba as slave labor. Chairman Ros-Lehtinen and Congressmen Sires, Diaz-Balart, and Rivera also sent a letter to the International Labour Organization on the matter on May 21, 2012.
|